Suburbs Soon To Outpace Nadi Town
The town of Nadi could in one day play second fiddle to suburbs Namaka and Martintar if nothing is done about its improvement.
Speaking to the Nadi Chamber of Commerce at the Tanoa Skyodge on Wednesday night, a founder and former chief executive officer of Air Terminal Services, Danny Morarji said Nadi should be looked at as the most modern place of all towns and cities in the Pacific.
“As you look at Namaka and Martintar and how it is growing, Nadi town will soon be outpaced and left behind.
“Nadi is a one-way street town, about 800 metres long with some side streets and straddled by the Nadi River,” he said.
“The river itself has been the cause of distress and damage form many years.”
Mr Morarji said he had lived in Nadi since 1972 where he worked at ATS and had always wanted a footpath leading to the airport.
“It had to take a new government to do this.
“Nadi is the gateway to Fiji and with a majority of tourists who arrive and stay in Nadi, less than 50 per cent take the time out to visit Nadi town.”
He said high end shops have made arrangements with tour and bus companies to bring tourists to their shops.
“With these high end shops, tourists can buy better quality goods in their own countries at a lesser price.
“We live in a world, where we think tourists will come over and fall over our bigger shops.”
Mr Morarji, who now lives in Melbourne claimed an average bedroom in a home in Australia or New Zealand was better than those at some of Denarau’s major resorts.
“We have to stop thinking that what we have is the best.”
He said the dredging of the Nadi River should be done from one kilometre upstream from the bridge all the way to Denarau.
He claimed money was wasted on the report by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) on the study of the Nadi River. He said if dredging had been done from then, the river would not be problem today. Mr Morarji said the Nadi River could be turned around from being a problem to becoming an attraction like most cities that have rivers running beside like in overseas.
“The river banks should be built up and cemented at the top whereby bars, restaurant and parks could be built.”
Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj
